Challenges Faced by Youths Today

Growing up, we would think about the future and wonder how our lifestyle and career would look, only to feel fear and anxiety creeping up on us.

With the uncertain times we live in today, it is only natural that we worry each day about whether we can find a job, much less make a living to afford the lifestyle we want. We have lofty dreams for ourselves and yet we face trying times. Fears about adulthood, our career path, money management and all these anxieties lead to us battling day in and day out with our self-confidence.
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If you are a youth reading this, know that you are not alone in your battles and there are many youths out there who face the same challenges as you. We know this as fellow youths ourselves, and also based on the insights illuminated by our market research conducted in June 2020.

As the challenges faced by youths have always been something that is a key concern to us at Growthbeans, we surveyed 118 youths in Singapore, ranging from 15-35 years old in order to understand some of the current challenges they face and the support that they seek. Here are our insights towards the challenges faced by youths today.

#1 75% of Youths are uncertain about the future
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Looking at today’s situation, we have all been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn. We wake up to news either about rise in cases around the world or about a new wave of retrenchment. Amidst the Covid-19 backdrop which has fast-tracked changes on many different levels, youths fear they might not be able to adapt to this challenge. School going youths continue to struggle to figure out what courses to take. Graduating youths worry about potential career options and not being able to find a job for themselves, while fearing their current skill-sets will become obsolete. Working youths might worry about job security.

#2 Youths struggle with self-confidence

The two key areas in which youths struggle with regards to their confidence are their physical appearance (youths rated 3.09/5 in self-confidence) and public speaking (youths rated 3.08/5 in their confidence towards public speaking). Some youths feel self-conscious about their physical appearance and this impedes them from connecting and developing meaningful relationships with others. With the education system focusing more on class presentations and participation,  the need to engage in more public speaking puts greater pressure on youths as they fear making mistakes or providing too controversial an opinion in class.

#3 73% of Youths are unclear about financial management

It is often daunting to think about managing finances. We feel the pressure of a rise in the cost of living, and managing that with our desired lifestyle. Youths wonder how much money to save every month for those rainy days, what to truly invest in and how CPF works. Based on market sentiments, 72% of youths would like to have more support in terms of planning their finances.

#4 Top 3 Support that Youths seek

Amidst these challenges, the top 3 support that youths seek are a safe space to express their perspectives towards various issues (66.1% of respondents), work on deepening their self-awareness in order to gain more clarity (70.3% of respondents) and understand their mental and emotional well-being (83.9% of respondents).

A mentor once shared with us, “when we reflect back on our lives, the greatest growth we have for ourselves doesn’t happen when life is smooth sailing. It always happens when we survive the different challenges.” 

We recognize that these are challenging times. However, this also means that it is an opportunity for us to develop our resilience together and maximize our growth so that we can sail to greater heights. To all youths out there, you are not alone in your challenges as you transition into adulthood. A key element to building resilience is positive social relationships and we at Growthbeans will like to walk with you throughout this growth journey. We believe in the potential of every single individual and we would love to support you in the best way possible.

 If you are looking to gain clarity in your purpose and discover more direction in life, the Find Your Ikigai SG (FIYSG) programme might just be the right thing for you. 

If you are looking for support in transitioning into adulthood, then do check out the Navigating Adulthood series – Navigating Career, Settling in the Workplace, Navigating Relationships & Making Sense of Money. 
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If you are looking for a listening ear or clarity on specific issues, you may check out our Youth Coaching Circle programme. 

If you feel that any of the above programmes will benefit you but you do not have the means to pay, drop us an email.

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